BRICS Development Bank May Take Years

BRICS' heads of state, from left, Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, China's President Hu Jintao and South Africa's President Jacob Zuma pose for a group photo at the G-20 Summit in

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BRICS' heads of state, from left, Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, China's President Hu Jintao and South Africa's President Jacob Zuma pose for a group photo at the G-20 Summit in

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The cornerstone achievement of this year’s BRICS summit is expected to be the foundation of a development bank. The group, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, hopes the money can be used to fund infrastructure, but experts say it may take years to develop the bank.

Officials from the five nations have been meeting regularly to discuss details behind this development bank ahead of the summit in Durban, South Africa later this month.

The BRICS nations are rapidly emerging economies that feel they do not get enough say on the world stage. Despite their economic clout, none has led the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank. And India, Brazil and South Africa have all lobbied for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council, to no avail.

BRICS

The world's five largest emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa

Total population of BRICS nations is almost 3 billion people

Total BRICS GDP is $14 trillion

The fifth annual BRICS summit starts March 26 in Durban, South Africa

South Africa’s ambassador to BRICS, Anil Sooklal, says the group is a way of offsetting that historical imbalance by giving each nation a say in the bank.

“One thing is very clear amongst the BRICS member states: that this bank will be collectively owned by all the BRICS countries, and it is not going to be a bank dominated by any one BRICS country. That is very clear,” Sooklal stressed.

But little is known about the dollars and cents of this proposed financial institution - where it will be based, when it will open, who will receive loans, or even what currency it will use. Those details are to be finalized at an upcoming summit.

Africa financial services director for consulting firm Ernst and Young, Emilio Pera, says although many of the particulars are yet to be ironed out, the bank is a good idea.

“I believe the proposed BRICS-led bank is a very positive development for South Africa and for the the wider Southern Africa," Sooklal explained. "It provides the opportunity to mobilize funding for infrastructure development, which is needed in most emerging markets, and in particular in South Africa at present, and which would benefit the wider region as well. It also strengthens the cooperation between the BRICS countries.”

A recent report from South Africa’s Standard Bank says each of the five nations is expected to contribute $10 billion. In contrast to the IMF and the World Bank, where members contribute relative to the size of their economy and get a share of votes based on that.

But the Standard Bank analysts have asked whether that will lead to a power imbalance. China’s economy on its own is bigger than that of the four other nations combined. For China, $10 billion is not a lot of money, it is less than one-eighth of one percent of its gross domestic product. But for South Africa, the smallest BRICS economy, it is a hefty bill - nearly half of the nation’s education budget.

One of the Standard Bank analysts, Simon Freemantle, says it could be a long time before the bank starts working.

“I think the bank itself has a long process through which it still has to travel in order for it to reach the point where it can extend loans... But I do not anticipate the formal structural origination of the bank will result immediately from next week’s summit. So I think it will be some time before they have the capacity to extend loans.”

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by: Matt

March 19, 2013 10:46 AM

"For China, $10 billion is not a lot of money, it is less than one-eighth of one percent of its gross domestic product. But for South Africa, the smallest BRICS economy, it is a hefty bill - nearly half of the nation’s education budget."

What type of comparison is that? What proportion of South Africa GDP goes to education? Or what proportion of China's education budget would the $10 billion dollars make up?

by: ramalingam venkatraju from: india coimbatore 641001

March 19, 2013 7:29 AM

Let first india learn the economi reforms from china japan,why not russia,,to how get down the debts of world bank,and make india from short fall of education, food, shelter, job income,for all its citizens,how to reduce tax, and how to not create new taxes, how to make government to serve its people atleast health, live healthy,then competing education,good food,shelter, why not een fter indipendence ,ene after from1947,what they were doing, why not japan, and china ataind self sufficency in all such basic sectors,its is all political and political paties do business here no serice in india,

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